Since the opening of Edmond Memorial High School in 1915, graduating classes have come and gone. Still, each one has left its mark one way or another, contributing to the Edmond community and beyond. With a school rich in history and culture, it could be difficult for incoming freshmen to learn and integrate themselves into the EMHS community. Fortunately, the Bulldog Mentors are here to help. Bulldog Mentors are a group of upperclassmen who teach freshmen about their new school and help them become part of the broader EMHS environment.
When moving up to EMHS, freshmen experience a cultural shock upon discovering their new schedules, freedoms and expectations. Freshmen need to learn early in their high school career about things, like how the schedules work, what dress up days are and how grades impact them later on gives them the ability to take that knowledge and help form their future so the Bulldog Mentor program was created. Dawnetta Russell, freshman counselor and Bulldog Mentor coordinator, sees her students struggle with the changes from middle school to high school each year, which gave her a goal for the program.
“Sometimes freshmen got kind of lost, and they weren’t as involved,” Russell said. “So we thought, if we had a mentoring team, we could help increase their ability to be involved in things, like sports, and really understand the nuances of schedules and how to figure out their GPA and things like that.”
Although Russell is the freshman counselor and a big presence in the mentor program, she is not alone in the efforts to make the freshmen feel welcome in the EMHS hallways. Freshman Academy Principal Carrie Higdon offers a helping hand to Russell with the mentors. Higdon goes on the school’s intercom to ask teachers to release the mentors for advisory, and she monitors the freshman academy cafeteria to ensure freshmen and mentors can find their respective places.
“I do the lessons and all of that,” Russell said. “[Higdon’s] great about helping me get people where they need to go and to make the announcements, and so it’s a great pairing where she and I work together.”
One of the greatest changes from middle school to high school is the number of people freshmen interact with daily. Middle schools are usually smaller and have more controlled environments, where students are limited to their grade level and “team,” which is the half of their grade level with whom they share classes. However, in high school, students frequently share classes with people in different grade levels, which might leave freshmen confused or anxious. Bulldog Mentors help with these anxieties by sharing their knowledge and experiences as upperclassmen. Freshman Courtney Scott was surprised by the big change between middle school and high school.
“It was a big surprise,” Scott said. “It’s a fun transition seeing more people in the hallways.”
Current Bulldog Mentors all have a reason as to why they joined the program; they were once taught about EMHS by previous upperclassmen who inspired them to share their Bulldog spirit. Having older peers students can go to is beneficial because they can receive advice from students with experience. It is a great alternative to having teachers explain everything, as it can make freshmen more comfortable. This is one of the reasons why senior Katherine Kinkade decided to join the mentoring program.
“I chose to be a Bulldog Mentor because, my freshman year, I liked my Bulldog Mentors, and I wanted to be someone freshmen could go to for actual help and guidance,” Kinkade said.
The questions freshmen have about their school range from where things are located to the history of the school to random things they might want to know when adjusting to their new environment. No matter what those questions are, or how unusual they might seem, it is always helpful to have someone who will provide an answer.
“At the first Bulldog Mentor meeting this year, they asked if popularity is still a big thing at this school,” Kinkade said. “I reassured them that everyone finds their own groups and fits in.”
Adjusting from a controlled and small middle school environment to a larger and freer space in high school can be tough and confusing. However, at EMHS, freshmen have the Bulldog Mentors to help them adjust to their new school. From teaching about the school’s history, providing academic information, or by simply having fun during advisory, Bulldog Mentors aid new freshmen on any issue they might have while adjusting.
Contact Noelia Ocampo Resendiz and Lauren Skinner at [email protected]